Gate structure and method with dielectric gates and gate-cut features

1. A semiconductor structure, comprising: a fin active region extending from a semiconductor substrate; first and second gate stacks disposed on the fin active region, wherein each of the first and second gate stacks includes a gate dielectric layer and a gate electrode disposed on the gate dielectric layer, wherein the gate dielectric layer includes a first dielectric material; a dielectric gate of a second dielectric material disposed on the fin active region and interposed between the first and second gate stacks, wherein the second dielectric material is different from the first dielectric material in composition; and an interlayer dielectric layer over the semiconductor substrate, wherein the first gate stack, the second gate stack, and the dielectric gate are surrounded by the interlayer dielectric layer, wherein, in a cross-sectional view cut along a direction that is parallel to a lengthwise direction of the fin active region, a first surface of a portion of the interlayer dielectric layer is in direct contact with the dielectric gate and a second surface of the portion of the interlayer dielectric layer is in direct contact with a portion of the gate dielectric layer.

2. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , further comprising: third and fourth gate stacks disposed on a shallow trench isolation (STI) feature; and first and second gate-cut features of a third dielectric material, wherein the first gate-cut feature is interposed between the third gate stack and the dielectric gate, wherein the second gate-cut feature is interposed between the fourth gate stack and the dielectric gate, and wherein the third dielectric material is different from the first dielectric material and second dielectric material in composition.

3. The semiconductor structure of claim 2 , wherein the third and fourth gate stacks, the first and second gate-cut features are aligned with the dielectric gate.

4. The semiconductor structure of claim 2 , wherein the gate dielectric layer is not disposed on sidewalls of the first and second gate-cut features.

5. The semiconductor structure of claim 2 , wherein a sidewall of the first gate-cut feature directly contacts a sidewall of the third gate stack; and a sidewall of the second gate-cut feature directly contacts a sidewall of the fourth gate stack.

6. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein the gate dielectric layer covers sidewalls of the dielectric gate.

7. The semiconductor structure of claim 2 , wherein the first gate-cut feature has a rectangular shape from a top view; a first sidewall of the first gate-cut feature directly contacts a sidewall of the third gate stack; and a second sidewall of the first gate-cut feature directly contacts a sidewall of the dielectric gate, where the first and second sidewalls of the first gate-cut feature are substantially parallel to each other.

8. A semiconductor structure, comprising: a semiconductor substrate; an isolation feature over the semiconductor substrate; a fin active region extending from a semiconductor substrate and protruding above the isolation feature; a gate structure, wherein the gate structure includes first, second and third portions, and each of the first, second and third portions includes a gate dielectric layer and a gate electrode disposed on the gate dielectric layer, wherein the gate dielectric layer includes a first dielectric material, wherein the second portion of the gate structure is disposed on the fin active region, and the first and third portions of the gate structure are disposed on the isolation feature; and first and second gate-cut features of a second dielectric material disposed directly on the isolation feature, wherein the first gate-cut feature is interposed between the first and the second portions of the gate structure, the second gate-cut feature is interposed between the third and the second portions of the gate structure, and the second dielectric material is different from the first dielectric material in composition, wherein, from a top view, a first sidewall of the gate electrode of the first portion directly contacts a first sidewall of the first gate-cut feature, and the gate dielectric layer continuously extends to cover second, third and fourth sidewalls of the gate electrode of the first portion.

9. The semiconductor structure of claim 8 , wherein the gate dielectric layer of the first portion directly contacts the first sidewall of the first gate-cut feature.

10. The semiconductor structure of claim 9 , wherein the first gate-cut feature spans a first dimension between a second sidewall and a third sidewall along a first direction; and the gate dielectric layer of the first portion spans the first dimension along the first direction.

11. The semiconductor structure of claim 10 , wherein the gate dielectric layer includes two edges spaced away along the first direction; and the two edges are aligned with the second and third sidewalls of the first gate-cut feature, respectively.

12. The semiconductor structure of claim 8 , wherein the gate dielectric layer continuously extends to enclose the gate structure, and the first and second gate-cut features.

13. A semiconductor structure, comprising: a semiconductor substrate; an isolation feature over the semiconductor substrate; a fin active region extending from the semiconductor substrate and protruding above the isolation feature; a dielectric gate of a first dielectric material disposed on the fin active region and directly on the isolation feature; first and second gate structures disposed directly on the isolation feature, wherein each of the first and the second gate structures includes a gate dielectric layer and a gate electrode disposed on the gate dielectric layer, wherein the gate dielectric layer includes a second dielectric material; and first and second gate-cut features of a third dielectric material disposed directly on the isolation feature, wherein the first gate-cut feature is interposed between the first gate structure and the dielectric gate, the second gate-cut feature is interposed between the second gate structure and the dielectric gate, and the first dielectric material is different from the second and the third dielectric materials in composition, wherein a third sidewall of the first gate-cut feature directly contacts a sidewall of the first gate structure, a fourth sidewall of the first gate-cut feature directly contacts a sidewall of the dielectric gate, and the first gate-cut feature spans between the third sidewall and the fourth sidewall along a second direction that is orthogonal to a lengthwise direction of the fin active region.

14. The semiconductor structure of claim 13 , wherein the first gate-cut feature spans a first dimension between a first sidewall and a second sidewall along a first direction, wherein the first direction is orthogonal to the second direction; and the gate dielectric layer is not disposed on the first and second sidewalls of the first gate-cut feature.

15. The semiconductor structure of claim 14 , wherein the dielectric gate spans the first dimension between a fifth sidewall and a sixth sidewall along the first direction; the dielectric gate spans between a seventh sidewall and an eighth sidewall along the second direction; and the gate dielectric layer is not disposed on the fifth and sixth sidewalls of the dielectric gate.

16. The semiconductor structure of claim 15 , wherein the first and second gate structures, and the first and second gate-cut features are fully aligned with the dielectric gate in the first direction.

17. The semiconductor structure of claim 15 , wherein the first sidewall of the first gate-cut feature is aligned with the fifth sidewall of the dielectric gate along the second direction; and the second sidewall of the first gate-cut feature is aligned with the sixth sidewall of the dielectric gate along the second direction.

18. The semiconductor structure of claim 14 , wherein the gate electrode of the first gate structure is enclosed by the gate dielectric layer of the first gate structure and the first gate-cut feature; the gate dielectric layer of the first gate structure spans along the first direction with two edges; and the two edges are aligned with the first and second sidewalls of the first gate-cut feature, respectively.

19. The semiconductor structure of claim 13 , wherein the gate dielectric layer is not disposed on sidewalls of the first and second gate-cut features.

20. The semiconductor structure of claim 13 , wherein the gate electrode of the first gate structure has a rectangle shape with three sidewall surfaces continuously covered by the gate dielectric layer; and the gate electrode includes a second sidewall surface contacting the first gate-cut feature and being free of the gate dielectric layer.